The Brand Keel
Six ribs, laid bow to stern. Read in order, the keel identifies the need, surfaces the pain of leaving the need unaddressed, names the destination on the other side, and positions your ship as the way across.
Bow
Bow ribs — short, sharp, they take the pounding first.
Purpose
If your business stopped existing tomorrow, what would your customers genuinely lose — beyond a vendor?
Example: We exist so that south-Charlotte families never lose a summer to a broken AC.
Buyer
The exact person or company, named so a stranger would recognize them. Not “small business owners.” Not “families.”
Example: Forty-to-sixty-five-year-old homeowners in south Charlotte zips, household income $90K+, in homes built 1970-2005.
Midship
Midship ribs — the longest, the widest beam.
Promise
What does your best customer tell their friend about you in one sentence — and is that the sentence you'd want them to use?
Example: Books closed by the 5th of every month, no chasing.
Wedge
Complete the sentence — no hedging, no lying.
Format borrowed from Marty Neumeier's onliness statement, Zag, 2006.
The honesty test
Example: The only Atlanta-metro firm with a written 5th-of-the-month close commitment, a named lead accountant per client, and a financing-aware monthly review built in.
Stern
Stern ribs — the wake.
Voice
If your brand were a person introducing itself in a business setting, how would they talk — and what three words would NOT describe them?
Example: Plainspoken CPA who returns your call before lunch. Calm, specific, no acronyms.
One-Liner
Written last, once the other five ribs are set.
The trailing wake — what the market repeats after you've passed. It can't be written until the other five ribs are set.
"Marketing is a set of tools that support the harbor. Reputation is the harbor."
Set all six ribs and your one-page keel appears here — printable, with the distribution checklist and PDF delivery.
This tool comes from the book. Get The Vibe Entrepreneur →